Before he entered filmmaking Cinematographer Sam Levy would not have described himself as a technical person. He didn’t have the J.J. Abrams Super 8 childhood that many other creatives grew up with. Instead, Levy pitched this missing piece as an asset, not a liability.

Levy’s ability to leap without worry of what was underneath him has lead to an impressive career, where he’s shot for directors like Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and worked on projects for Jerry Seinfeld, Judd Apatow, Norman Lear, and Kanye West.

This background led to Levy’s latest project, Mayday, which was written and directed by Karen Cinorre. The story, which is the first project of this scale produced by Levy, is about a girl who is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land where she joins an army of girls engaged in a never-ending war on the coast.

In this interview, the Cinematographer talks about the 1992 documentary Visions of Light, how work ethic is often more important than experience, his fascination with the film Citizen Kane, why creatives should compartmentalize ambitious goals, and how to choose team members who have creative stamina.

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